SMG NDT: Ecommerce built for the field

SMG NDT wanted to retain the flexibility and familiar administration of its WooCommerce store while adding a dedicated mobile app. NDT engineers regularly need equipment while working on site and may not have convenient access to a computer.

The objective was a simple, focused ecommerce app that made the existing store easy to browse and use from a phone without asking the SMG NDT team to operate two separate commerce systems.

A standalone app catalogue would duplicate everyday work and create a risk that product information, prices, stock and orders would drift away from the website. The app needed to remain connected to WooCommerce as the operational source of truth.

Customers also needed more than guest checkout. Their existing account, order history, saved products and ability to reorder had to travel with them between the website and app.

• Give engineers an easy way to browse and order NDT equipment while on site.
• Keep WooCommerce as the single catalogue and order-management system.
• Synchronise products, prices and stock automatically with the app.
• Send website and mobile orders into the same familiar WooCommerce dashboard.
• Support SMG NDT’s chosen Takepayments and Stripe payment options.
• Let customers save products to a wishlist.
• Provide account access, order history and a simple route to reorder previous purchases.

We treated the app as a new customer experience for the existing store, not a separate ecommerce platform. Flutter provides the mobile interface while the WordPress and WooCommerce APIs expose the catalogue, customer and order information it needs.

That architecture keeps merchandising and fulfilment where the SMG NDT team already works. A product uploaded or changed in WooCommerce is reflected in the app, and an order placed on either channel reaches the same administration workflow.

The Flutter app gives engineers a clear mobile catalogue for specialist NDT equipment, including new and pre-owned products. Detailed product screens expose imagery, descriptions, certification information, availability, quantity and pricing without reproducing the complexity of the administrative store.

Customers can create or access their account, add products to a wishlist, manage a basket and complete an order through the supported payment gateways. Their order history remains available for reference and repeat purchasing.

Behind the interface, WooCommerce remains the shared commerce engine. Product changes automatically update the app through the API, while app and website orders both appear in the WooCommerce dashboard the team already knows.

• Flutter ecommerce app for iPhone and Android
• WordPress and WooCommerce API integration
• Automatically synchronised products, prices and stock
• Support for new and pre-owned NDT equipment
• Product imagery, descriptions, availability and quantities
• Shared customer accounts across the commerce platform
• Wishlist and favourite products
• Mobile basket and checkout
• Takepayments and Stripe payment integrations
• Central WooCommerce order management for app and web purchases
• Customer order history and reordering

The most important technical decision was preserving one dependable source of truth. Product updates, stock changes, customer sessions and orders move between Flutter and WooCommerce through APIs, so the app must remain useful on mobile connections without presenting stale or conflicting commerce information.

Payment and order state also needed to remain consistent across channels. Takepayments and Stripe had to fit the app journey while completed purchases still reached WooCommerce with the information required for the team’s existing fulfilment process.

SMG NDT gained a dedicated mobile storefront without duplicating its catalogue or retraining the team on a second order platform. Engineers can now discover, save and purchase specialist equipment from a phone while working away from a computer.

The business continues to upload products and manage orders through WooCommerce, with the app extending that existing operation into a field-friendly customer experience.